Oracle

The prince, after climbing the Great Mountain of the Oracle, stood before the cave now. His face contorted with a vicious confidence, he demanded loudly, "Oracle, come forth and tell me my future!"
The wind howled and the trees shook, but no one was forthcoming. The prince yelled again, then again and again.
"Silence, fool! You know not what lurks in this mountain!" The disembodied voice echoed off the boulders, twisting and churning.
A small boy stepped from the cave's darkness. "What is your inquiry, lord prince?"
The prince, having recovered from the shock of the echoing voice, drew himself to full height. "I demand an audience with the oracle of this mountain. Take me to the oracle, boy!"
The boy stared at him a moment, then turned. "Very well, lord prince. Follow me."
The boy led him into the darkness, down a spiraling staircase and through numerous caves. The prince saw many sights beneath the mountain.
Finally the boy paused before a clear, dark pool. A light shone somewhere in its depths. The boy sat at the foot of the pool and gestured to the prince. "Have a seat, lord prince."
The prince was stunned again. "Do not play me like a fool, boy! Where is the oracle?!?"
The boy spread his arms wide. "He sits before you, lord prince. What would you ask of the oracle?"
After a few minutes of pondering, the prince sat and stared at the boy hard. "My fortune. I want to know if my plan will succeed. I want to know if I will rule the kingdom."
The boy nodded and spread his hands over the water. The surface of the pool quivered and shook as the boy's hands began to move, twisting and molding the water in strange patterns. The light shimmered and grew, shining brightly from deep within the earth. The prince shielded his eyes, wanting to watch this strange feat but too afraid of its power.
The water spun around and around, dancing about the boy and the prince, then suddenly receded into the pool. The light faded, leaving the prince blinking blindly.
"Your fortune, lord prince."
The prince looked up excitedly. "Yes, what is my fortune?"
The boy sat completely still, eyes closed. His voice rang through the cave eerily. "Lord prince, your fortune is good. Your plan shall be successful. You shall rule the kingdom, yes, and even the entire known world." The prince jumped up, shouting ecstatically. "But! But, lord prince, you shall not be happy. Heed this." The oracle stood and pointed with his small hand and watching with closed eyes. "Listen well. There shall be dire consequences. You will lose much and gain little. Your plan is successful, but not worth the losses you will encounter."
The prince laughed. "How could I not be happy if I rule the world? I thank thee, oracle, for this knowledge." And, laughing the whole way, he strode away from the lit pool.
"Heed me, prince! You shall regret even this day for the rest of your life! You shall never know happiness again! Heed me!"